$24.4 Million Land Purchase Gets Green Light

The Henrico Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Monday night in favor of purchasing 205 acres off of Kain Road. As we reported earlier, the land is slated for future use as the site of a high school, park, fire station, and county fueling station. The land will be purchased from land owner Robert Atack for $24.4 million, around double what the developer paid for it less than two years ago, sparking a tense debate between Tuckahoe District Supervisor Pat O’Bannon and County Manager Virgil Hazelett.

O’Bannon argues the county should have used its power of eminent domain, where they could force a sale and pay only what the land is assesed as. A recent independent survey placed the parcel’s value at around $18 million. The negotiated price is $2.3 million less than the original $26.7 million deal. No word yet on when the county plans to build any of the named facilities on the property.